Nuapada, July 10: The ongoing "Steering Andolan" spearheaded by the Odisha Drivers’ Union has brought transportation across the state to a standstill, with Nuapada district among the worst affected. With buses and trucks off the roads, the blockade has paralyzed normal life, severely disrupting public mobility and essential services.
In a stark example of the protest’s impact, a 95-year-old woman was forced to walk nearly 10 kilometers to receive a scheduled vaccination. The incident occurred in the Sinapali block of Nuapada district, where Mangalbari Mahara, a resident of Shikabahali village in Singjhar panchayat, had no choice but to travel on foot to the Sinapali Community Health Center.
Sources say the elderly woman had been undergoing a course of anti-rabies injections after a dog bite last month. Wednesday marked her final and crucial dose. However, with all forms of public and private transport halted due to the drivers' agitation, she was accompanied by her son on foot to the health facility.
Despite the existence of emergency services like the 108 ambulance, her son revealed that they could not seek assistance due to the lack of a mobile phone to place the call.
This incident underscores the deep and sometimes dangerous consequences such protests can have on the lives of vulnerable rural residents, especially the elderly and those in need of urgent medical care.
